


Hope For a Better Tomorrow

by frostytrish



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Akashi is a giant snoop, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Kouki just wants to be left alone, M/M, Self-Worth Issues, akafuri - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:34:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23890909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frostytrish/pseuds/frostytrish
Summary: Akashi struggles to understand how he could have underestimated such a cowardly looking boy and must understand where he went wrong. Furihata on the other hand has other problems to deal with and merely wishes to be left alone.
Relationships: Akashi Seijuurou/Furihata Kouki
Comments: 6
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So ... I found this 50 page fic that I'd started working on in 2016?? and haven't touched since 2017. It's not done and I have a TON of edits to make, but as I edit I will post chapters. Hopefully someone other than me can enjoy it. ^_^

Furihata Kouki was a normal, fairly plain boy. In fact, if not for how skittish he could be, he wouldn’t really have been noticeable at all. No one really understood why he was such a nervous person, though he made friends easily enough so no one really paid much attention. Everyone seemed to believe that it was merely his personality. As far as Furihata was concerned, people could think whatever they wanted, it didn’t matter anyways because nothing would change. He would continue to have fun with his friends and put on his perfected false smile. No one could tell what he was truly feeling; he made sure of that.  


Originally Kouki said the reason he wanted to play basketball was to get a girlfriend, which was partially true. If he had a girlfriend, then he would have a valid excuse to be away from home more often. Even if it was just club activities however, it would still prevent him from having to go right after school, plus he was enrolled in cram school on the days he didn’t have practice.  
He’d had an older brother, however he had passed away a few years ago. Even then his parents didn’t seem to want either of them. When they weren’t in public, they didn’t look too bothered by the fact that they’d lost their oldest child. The official record said that he had merely slipped in the bathroom and hit his head on the sink a little too hard. But Furihata knew better than that. Accident or not, he had some help with that fall. His parents had shown some remorse for about a week, however after that, they didn’t seem to care at all. Even when Furihata went to the required therapy sessions, his parents had threatened him not to do or say anything. Terrified, he complied and after about two months they pulled him out because “They weren’t helping.”

All that he had left of his brother, Ryuu, was a picture of the two of them taken on one of their first days of school by one of his friends. Furihata always kept it hidden, folded away in one of the pockets of his wallet. It had happened in Ryuu’s first year of middle school and Kouki’s last year in elementary. His hair and eyes were a little darker than the younger’s, taking after their mother Kiyomi. However, Ryuu looked more built than Kouki had in middle school, taking after their father Seiji.  


After the tragedy, Furihata had made sure to have as busy a schedule as he could in order to stay away from home for as long as possible. Furihata himself wasn’t typically hurt, but his parents fought constantly. Honestly, he wasn’t sure why they were still together.  


They hardly ever even noticed Kouki’s presence and when they did he was often told to pick a side. It was always somewhat dangerous when he was given the task, especially when he didn’t know what the argument was about. If he picked the wrong one, things would get thrown against the walls, the screaming would get louder as one parent defended him and the other merely continued to get angrier. Needless to say, it wasn’t uncommon for an officer to knock on the door following up on a ‘noise complaint’.

It had become an unspoken rule of the house that when this happened the least drunk of the two would answer the door, most often his mother, unless they were both trashed. Then it fell upon Kouki to come up with a believable lie which would often have something to do with them being pissed off at the t.v. which was almost always on anyways.

Either way it was always best for him to sneak in as late as he could. The later he got home, the larger the chance was that whatever they had been arguing about had already been taken care of.  
Some nights though, he would come home to one of them exceptionally drunk and they would try and pick a fight with him in particular. These nights terrified the burnette. While they were rare, those were the nights he would get hurt, especially if it was his father who’d been drinking. At least he could fend off his mother. If she was too drunk he would be safe enough, locked in his room. Unfortunately nine times out of ten it wouldn’t be her.

Suffice it to say, it hadn’t been too uncommon for him to be admitted to the hospital for stupid reasons and he’d have to convince the doctors of whatever his parents said had happened. It was a wonder how they were able to miraculously come up with all of the money needed for hospital fees, not that they hadn’t been reluctant to use the money on anything other than booze and cigarettes. When he thought about it too much Kouki was amazed they still paid for his school tuition and hadn’t told him to either get a full scholarship or a job instead.  
It just gave them another thing to argue about. Luckily he hadn't sustained any serious injuries for a couple years now and he was almost half of the way to graduating from Seirin High anyways. _Just a year and a half and I can leave. Eighteen more months and I can hopefully go to university, get a job, and move out without any questions._ That was the plan anyhow.

However, the day eventually came where he would have to fear going home each day even more.

He walked in the door one day after club activities had ended and his parents had just finished their latest argument; only this time it was different. Furihata’s mother had had a bag full of things and just as he walked in, she walked out, slamming the door behind her. Curious as to what he had missed, but not quite curious enough to risk asking, he scampered to his room before his father had any time to acknowledge his presence, locked the door, and began working on his homework.

Almost three hours later Kouki was finished and had been on the computer for a while when he heard his father’s drunken footsteps make their way down the hall towards his room. Terrified, Kouki double checked that the door was locked, turned off the light and dove into bed hoping his father would believe that he had fallen asleep and would leave him alone. No such luck.

“Kouki. Open up!” The man’s voice was urgent and full of anger. After he had received no response, he pounded his fist against the wood. “So help me if you don’t answer I will break down this door right here and now!” Kouki didn’t have much time at all to react before his father began banging harder. He decided against opening it and dashed over to the window, desperately hoping to escape before his father broke in. It wasn’t until after the window was unlocked and Furihata began trying to pry it open did he consider how long it had been since he’d opened it last and it had become stuck.

Desperate, he continued to pull at the window, hoping by some miracle that he would be able to flee before his father got to him. His hope was quickly vanishing though as he heard the splintering sounds of the door beginning to give way. Running out of options, Furihata hid in his closet, the door scraped noisily against the hardwood floor, making him cringe. His father wasn’t a huge man, but he was strong enough that after enough persistence he could break through a door. Unfortunately for Kouki, he took after his mother. As far as physical strength went, he was wading at the shallow end of the gene pool. There was no way he would be able to take the man in an even fight.

He sat there in the corner of his closet, terrified of the moment when his father would break through. Each time he rammed into the door Kouki would hear the splintering wood slowly giving way more and more until the door was finally kicked in. The closet door was burst open and Furihata dragged out of his hiding place by the hair. His nose scrunched at the strong smell of alcohol on his father’s breath.

“Don’t be so pathetic! A real man wouldn’t run and hide stupid boy!”

“Y-yes! Sorry father!” Kouki whimpered, flinching at the fist that flew into his stomach, taking all his breath away.

“And don’t stutter! You’re just like that damn woman, don’t you be a coward like her too!”

“I’m sorry! Please stop!” At this point the tears had snuck their way passed Kouki’s eyes, terrified of what the older man could be capable of in this state.

“A real man doesn’t apologize or cry either. You’re a poor excuse for a son, a mistake at best!” Another hit to the gut and Furihata was tossed aside on the floor. “All you are is a damn waste of space and money; of course that woman would leave you here. You’re nothing but a freeloader.” Kouki curled in on himself more with each word. Sure, his stomach hurt a lot, but he hated feeling so useless. His parents never really cared and he was aware of that fact. A mistake. That’s all he ever was to them, and probably all he’d ever be.

As soon as he was able to more or less take care of himself he was ignored a large majority of the time. He had a sinking feeling that that part of his life, being blissfully ignored, had come to an end. Kouki didn’t blame his mother for leaving, and he didn’t blame his father for being angry and getting drunk. _The real waste of money in my opinion._ He often thought; It was bound to happen someday, he just wished it could’ve waited until he was old enough to get a job and move out.

No matter his situation though, the next day was just like any other. He wore his perfected smile, went to school, laughed and had fun with his friends, enjoyed club activities, and then took the longest way home possible, already knowing that his father would again be drunk and waiting for him.

A few weeks had passed since that night. More often than not Furihata would get back home before his father, who had taken to staying out late at bars. The bedroom door hadn’t been fixed yet, so whenever his father got angry, Kouki was unable to hide anywhere at all. He had however, been able to get his window open and with advanced warning, was able to get out if his father had come home in one of his angry drunken stupors. Unfortunately when that happened, his father would lock him out for the night and he’d have to find somewhere else to sleep if he hadn’t left the window cracked. Most often he’d ask the neighbors, who had more likely than not heard Seiji Furihata’s angered shouts and let the young boy sleep on their couch.

Kouki had on many occasions tried to convince them that everything was alright and the police didn’t need to be involved, but more often than not, when their concern outweighed his reassurances, the authorities were called. He didn’t know how his father was able to drunkenly ramble his way out of those situations. He wasn’t there to witness them. _Maybe he miraculously stopped drinking after that point and sobered up a little._ Kouki doubted it but somehow his father was able to avoid arrest thus far and he had no real idea how. However, It would only take so long before Kouki’s teammates would start noticing that something was wrong.

“Furihata kun.”

“Ah, yes Kuroko kun?”  
“Why do you wait until we are all out of the locker room to change? You never used to do that and I find it strange that you’ve started recently.” _What do I say to that? He doesn't suspect anything is wrong does he?! He saw them, didn't he?! well even if he did Kuroko kun wouldn't say anything, right? Right?! Crap he's just looking at me, waiting for an answer, it's like he can see right through me! no! get a grip Kouki! Think! he's just being patient, he doesn't have any idea, it's just small talk!_

“O-oh, I guess I’ve just gotten a little bashful? I get kinda embarrassed a lot you know...” The bluenette just looked back at him, leaving him unsure as to whether Kuroko had believed him or not. His teammate merely nodded and turned away, confusing Furihata even more, making him feel uneasy. Kuroko was as difficult to read as always. _Maybe..._ “Oh! Umm, hey Kuroko kun?”

“hmm?”

“Uh, do you wanna hang out after practice? I don’t have anything to do afterwards, we don’t have school or practice tomorrow, and I think it’d be a nice change of pace since we don’t talk much outside of practice.” _Maybe I can make sure to really convince him that there’s nothing to worry about and stay away from home a little longer while I’m at it… Two birds one stone!_ The idea sounded brilliant at the time

“I usually go to Maji burger after practice if you want to come.”

“Thank you Kuroko kun!” He merely nodded again and left the locker room ready for practice. Sure, being the last one out had it’s disadvantages. Riko would usually make him run a few extra laps or have him sit out during a round or two of scrimmage, but so long as he didn’t have to show everyone all of his bruises, he was just fine with that arrangement. Today however, the coach seemed to feel somewhat concerned for Furihata as Kuroko had.

“Are you alright Furihata kun?” she asked as he finally emerged from the locker room.

“Huh? Yes, I’m fine … What is my penalty today? I was out late again ...”

“You’ve been holding back a lot lately. Your mind is somewhere else. What’s going on?”

“O-oh, that … umm …. I uh, I fell down a bunch of stairs and got a little sore, just a few scrapes and bruises, I'll be fine in a few more days. Sorry to worry you, but it's really nothing.” She eyed him suspiciously, not quite believing him, but seemed to accept the answer he’d given for now.

“Fine, just be more careful from now on. You have five extra laps today.”

“Yes coach!” After practice, Kuroko and Furihata went to Maji Burger. Neither of them really spoke at all. Kuroko, rather content with his vanilla milkshake and Kouki with his burger and fries until finally, Kuroko spoke up, he didn’t look at him as he spoke, his eyes glued to the table between of them;

“Are you sure that bruise was from the stairs? I didn’t mean to look, but your shirt was riding up a little when we spoke earlier in the locker room. … It looks like it hurts.” Furihata practically choked on the bite of burger he had been trying to swallow, coughing a few times.

“W-what makes you ask that? O-of course it was from falling.”

“... It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me, I was just curious. … but if you ever want to talk about it, I don’t mind listening.” Kouki nodded somewhat solemnly, Kuroko definitely knew he was lying. Of course he did, Kuroko could read anyone;

“Thank you Kuroko kun, but I promise, I’m just … clumsy …” Even he didn’t believe that lie, but after another moment or two he perked up again. “Thank you for hanging out with me today though, I really appreciate it. We should definitely do this more often, that is if you’re okay with it.”

“I don’t mind. Kagami kun and I usually come here after practice anyways, too bad he was busy today though.” Furihata nodded and looked at his phone.

“It’s getting kind of late, it’s probably about time to start heading home …” Before Furihata could start sliding out of the booth Kuroko asked another concerned question;

“You sound somewhat” He paused and looked him straight in the eye, deciding on a different approach. “... is everything alright at home? I don’t mean to pry though. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but it can be better to talk about these things before they get out of hand if they are happening.” _Am I really being that obvious?! Is he just overly perceptive? This was a terrible idea! Why did I have to ask Kuroko? Why not someone dense like Kagami or Hyuuga senpai? Though I guess it would have been weird for me to ask one of the upperclassmen, no matter how imperceptive. Fukuda and Kawahara would have made the most sense ..._

“Really Kuroko kun I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’ll be alright, it was just some stairs. I do appreciate that you were able to hang out tonight though.”

“You keep saying appreciate.”

“Huh?”

“Instead of saying that you had fun, or that this was nice, you said that you ‘appreciate’ it. You used the same word earlier too.”

“I did? Really, I’m just glad we could-” Kuroko shook his head

“I won’t say anything if you don’t want me to, but if you ever want to talk I don’t mind listening.”

“Honestly Kuroko kun, you said that already. Everything is fine.” Furihata flashed his signature smile while mentally scolding himself for his lapse of judgement; “I’m happy we got to hang out for a little while. We should do it more often, that is, if you want to.” The bluenette didn’t look convinced, but decided against questioning him further.

“I don’t mind.” Furihata began to slide out of the booth again;

“Great! I’ll see you at school Monday then.” Kuroko nodded.

It wasn’t long after Furihata returned to his home that he’d discovered that both his window and the front door were locked. Peering through the living room window, his father was passed out on the couch. _Well at least he’s not still waiting for me…_ Unable to enter his own home he looked over to his neighbor's house. Unfortunately all of their lights were off, meaning they were probably asleep, or at the very least trying to. _Great … Now what? Should I try to sleep under the bushes? No, It’s already really cold and it could rain. I’d likely freeze to death if I did that, or at the very least get sick and be yelled at for it… Why does it have to be so miserable at night? February is one of the worst times of the year for camping outside. Maybe Kuroko would let me stay over … But he already suspects something is wrong, though, at least then I’d be able to sleep on a couch or something._

Contemplating his choices, Kouki pulled out his phone and began scrolling through his contacts. Out of all of them, Kuroko seemed like the one most likely to help while asking the fewest questions, but was also the most intuitive. After a few minutes of weighing his options, with a reluctant sigh, he called his ghost-like teammate in hopes that he’d have a warm place to stay that night.

“Furihata kun?”

“Ne Kuroko kun …. you’re gonna laugh at this, but um … I’m locked out of my house … Could I maybe crash with you for the night?”

“Of course you can … but why are you locked out of your house?”

“Oh umm, my dad fell asleep and forgot to leave the door unlocked … he’s a pretty deep sleeper sometimes.”

“Don’t you have a house key?”

“I lost it … If it’s a bother for me to visit, that’s okay. I can probably figure something else out.”

“No, feel free to come over.” With that, Kuroko had hung up, leaving Furihata to his decision.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sei is a spoiled little rich boy.

Akashi Seijuro had a fairly good life going for him. Whatever he wanted was his; anything could be obtained with a little work on his part. It was almost annoying to him how easily everything could be attained. 

He even wished his parents would be harder on him. But no, they always just gave him praise. After all, who wouldn’t want a child like Seijuro? He was brilliant, at the top of his class, student council president, captain of his sports team, and in a few more years he would be old enough to take over his father’s company if he so wished. 

Not that the Akashi head was ready to retire any time soon, but it was a possibility. Though at this point in time Seijuro wasn’t thinking about any of those things. All he had on his mind was the Winter Cup.

For the first time in his life, Seijuro lost. It had been a couple months since then and his team was understanding for the most part. Of course they were all disappointed, but there wasn’t any point in dwelling on it. Unfortunately he couldn’t get it out of his head though. They lost due to a small miscalculation on his part. 

_Furihata Kouki …_ He had done his research on the boy after that game. If asked, Seijuro could tell you all of the schools he went to, his age, weight, who his closest friends seemed to be, his parent’s names and professions, sports history, and even his medical records to date. Even that he’d had an older brother who passed away due to head trauma. 

Unfortunately there wasn’t anything useful in the documents from the therapist Furihata had seen following the event. Just useless notes saying that he was guarded and unwilling to cooperate, then pulled out before the therapist could do much for him in said condition. Seijuro had made the mistake of overlooking the smallest detail once, and he wasn’t about to do it again.

“With all the times he's been to the hospital for easily preventable things one would think he wouldn’t seem like such a coward.” Seijuro mumbled to himself. He was going through all of the medical documents again. A broken arm from falling out of a tree, a few brain scans to check for concussions from getting hit in the head by a ball or falling for whatever reason, a scan of his ribs, so on and so forth. It seemed strange to him that such a boy would have the courage to climb up a tree so many times after continuously failing and getting so injured and yet seem so gutless in person. Even in the doctor's notes there had been suspicions of abuse but no documentation was available that could confirm whether or not their concerns had been followed up on. _Then again there hasn’t been anything of that caliber in a while so either he learned how to climb a tree, stopped trying, or the family was able to become more discreet._

“Even with this information, he still doesn’t seem like he would’ve been a threat.” Akashi sighed, slightly irritated with his findings. _Perhaps if I went farther into his personal life I could figure it out… and if he happens to be having trouble with his family I’ll intervene. hmm …_ Akashi sighed; _Why am I so concerned over this one kid? I was careless and it doesn’t have anything to do with him. I should have kept up my guard. But it was him who made me drop it in the first place! … Perhaps Tetsuya would know. He is on the boy’s team after all …_ Without much of a second thought, he picked up his phone and dialed Kuroko’s number.

“Akashi kun?”

“Tetsuya, your teammate Furihata Kouki. Who exactly is he?”

“I’m not sure I follow. What do you mean? And why are you suddenly interested in my teammate?”

“I mean that most of the information I could find on him was too vague for me to assess him. At this point in time he is an anomaly.”

“Akashi kun, I don’t know what is going on, but I don’t know that much about Furihata kun’s personal life other than what happens at school, practices, and games. You’ll have to ask someone else.”

“Who else would know?”

“I don’t know. Is that all you needed?” Akashi sighed, thanked Kuroko, and then hung up. _Why does this bother me so much?_

“Perhaps all I need to do is talk to him and it’ll stop bothering me. I do have his address after all. Tomorrow morning I’ll pay a visit.” 

Furihata’s home didn’t look all that appealing. It was small with chipped and peeling paint, the yard barely managed, and a few of the windows appeared to be nailed shut. Not the most inviting home to say the least. Akashi approached the front door and knocked, finding himself facing a man hardly taller than himself.

“Who are you?” He asked.

“I am Akashi Seijuro. You are Furihata Kouki’s father I presume?”

“Yeah, you one of his friends or something? If you’re here looking for him, he’s been gone all night. I don’t know where the hell he went.” The older man was quickly becoming agitated.

“I see. Does he do that often?”

“That’s none of your business. If you wanna know so bad ask him yourself. Now go bother someone else. I have to leave for work in ten minutes.” Never before had a door had been slammed in his face; he’d been brushed aside. It was both shocking and irritating enough to cause his eye to twitch. Hardly the welcome he’d been anticipating after the long drive from Kyoto.

Unsure of what to do at this point since he was really in no position to impose any farther on the Furihata home he got back into the car and called Kuroko; who barely picked up the phone on the last ring, answering in a drowsy voice.

“Hello?”

“Are you still in bed Tetsuya?”

“Oh. Akashi kun. Yes I’m still in bed.” Akashi sighed;

“It’s noon.”

“It’s Sunday. Why are you calling me Akashi kun?.”

“Do you know where Furihata might be? He isn’t home and seeing as you’re his teammate, you’re the only person I care to ask. Going to anyone else on your team would be unnecessarily troublesome.”

“You’re at his house? In Tokyo? That’s a six hour drive Akashi kun.”

“Just answer the question Tetsuya.” Seijuro heard a reluctant sigh from his ex teammate.

“Fine. He stayed the night at my house last night. Why? Are you intending on coming over to see him?”

“I’ll be there in less than ten minutes.”

“That would require me to get up and I’d really rather not. However, there is a key to the back door under a stepping stone. If that’s all you need, I’m going back to sleep.”

“You really should wake up Tetsuya.” a sigh was heard over the phone;

“Fine. We’ll see you soon Akashi kun.” When they hung up Akashi got into the car and instructed his driver on the change in plans. 

No longer than the aforementioned ten minutes had passed, the three teens were sitting in Kuroko’s living room, silence filling the space. Akashi sat across the room from the fidgeting, nervous Furihata while Kuroko sat to the side of the room observing. Akashi was the first to speak;

“Furihata.”

“Eh, yes!?” Suddenly Kouki was sitting up straight and stiffly, all of his frantic attention on the terrifying captain.

“Which parent do you mostly take after? Personality wise.”

“W-well that would depend on which one you ask … and the occasion.”

“I’m asking you.”

“I r-really don’t know. I don’t spend a lot of time with them ... ”

“I see. Why is that?” Furihata began fidgeting a bit again, not at all comfortable with the topic.

“I’d rather not talk about my parents … W-why are you so interested anyway? There has to be a reason you wanted to talk to me. And we’ve only seen each other twice without talking at all.”

“That is true Akashi kun. It’s very unlike you.” Kuroko chimed in. Akashi sat back in the chair, considering his response. Tetsuya had made a valid point, what was the point to this meeting? To figure out more about Furihata of course, but why so brash? He couldn’t decide on an answer. Finally he spoke up;

“I’m here because you intrigue me Furihata.”

“Eh?”

“Because such a person as you has caused me to let my guard down. You, a shivering cowering, sad excuse for a basketball player-”

“Akashi kun, you’re being too harsh. Furihata kun is a valuable member on the team and I won’t tolerate you insulting him.” Kuroko’s voice was stern. Akashi sighed;

“May I continue Tetsuya?”

“Not if you’re going to be rude.” He shook his head and began speaking again anyways;

“As I was saying, you changed the course of an entire game. What I want to know is; how. I have run through the scenario thousands of times and every time, I would have never seen you making the shot.” Furihata looked at him incredulously;

“So … That’s all? But, what do my parents have to do with that? They weren’t even at that game.” Furihata looked down to his lap and muttered. “It was just a fluke then, a lucky shot … But I’m getting better.”

“Your skill is of no consequence. I want to know who _you_ are, and to do that I need to know some personal information. What I have now is of little to no use.”

“What you have now?” Kouki questioned incredulously.

“I have access to medical records, articles, noise complaints, domestic claims, basically any recorded documents. However, there still isn’t much there to go by. Unfortunately your psychological record doesn’t have anything that would be useful either.” listening to Seijuro talk, Furihata found himself becoming irritated at the redhead.

“You went through my family’s private records? That has to be illegal, not to mention it’s none of your business.”

Kuroko sighed and stood up;

“It sounds like this is going to take a while. Anyone want something to eat?”

“That won’t be necessary Tetsuya.” Kuroko shrugged and went to the kitchen anyway as Akashi went back to talking to Furihata. “Legality plays little to no part if you have the right connections, which I do. And I am making it my business.” Kouki wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. Of course he was upset with Akashi for looking into his family’s files. There were probably a lot of things that he wouldn’t want anyone to know about him there already, and now here Akashi is, asking for more. If not for the fact that Akashi was an immensely intimidating person, he probably would have gone ballistic on the guy. However, given his audience, noticeable frustration would do fine.

“I can’t believe you went through my family’s files. The next time you want to get to know someone better, you should go to them personally first and let them warm up to you.”

“Why would I do that when it’s easier and faster to look up their information?”

“Do you really have such lax morals?”

“I would hardly say that my morals are lax Furihata Kouki. I just take advantage of the benefits that I have in order to move things along at a more adequate pace. You seem to not understand however, that you are not in the position to be questioning me.”

“I am in the perfect position to be questioning you! What? Are you going to blackmail me or something? I can guarantee you that whatever you found in those stupid records doesn’t even matter anymore. It would only make me even less willing to answer your questions if you were to tell everyone about whatever was there.” For the second time in one day, Akashi was slightly taken aback.

“I can see that you and your father share some personality traits.” hearing this, Furihata shot up from his chair, an angry flash of red appeared on his face;

“I am NOTHING like my father!!!!” Unable to control his sudden fury, he stormed out of the room to calm back down on his own for a while; leaving Akashi behind to ponder what he had done wrong. Kuroko then walked back into the room, a sandwich in hand.

“You pressed too far, didn’t you Akashi kun?”

“All I did was state an observation. He was acting similarly to how his father had been earlier.” Kuroko looked to Akashi with a deadpan expression;

“I thought you were supposed to be good at reading people. Furihata kun might not like his father all that much. He was locked out of his house last night and said it wasn’t intentional, but from what you said, I’m not so sure.” Seijuro took a few seconds to mull over his conversation with the brunette, before speaking up again;

“Tetsuya, It seemed like blackmail was the first thing to cross his mind, whereas on my end, it was the last. He seemed genuinely worried about it. Do you know why?”

“Honestly Akashi kun, As I said last night, I don’t know that much about Furihata kun outside of school and basketball. He’s always seemed to be a relatively happy person to me.” Akashi gave a bored sigh;

“I suppose if I was able to get more information from him I could blackmail him if I truly felt like it, but I’d rather he just talk to me.”

“Be nice to my teammate Akashi kun. It sounds like he has a hard enough time without adding you into the mix. Why is this so important to you anyways?”

“Because, I want to put it all behind me.” Kuroko looked at him in confusion.

“What do you mean by that?”

“The Winter Cup. My mind has gone through the game countless times and I have yet to figure out how he was able to influence the outcome so profoundly. I had gone over all of the recordings of Seirin games with little reward. After all, he hadn’t been in many games previous to that one, so I attempted more in depth research on him, however, that turned out to be in vain as well, with the little helpful information I pulled up. I wanted to avoid going to him directly if I could but you see how that turned out.”

“ … You could have started out just talking to him normally to get to know him better. Maybe he would have felt more comfortable telling you about himself if you had been more patient with him instead of showing up at his house, as well as mine, demanding answers. Besides, Furihata kun knows next to nothing about you.” Akashi nodded;

“You are suggesting that I become closer to your teammate and wait for him to share more of his personal life?”

“That would be what I was saying if you hadn't just royally fucked up.”

“Alright Tetsuya, I’ll try doing it your way.” Kuroko looked at him, unimpressed.

“Like I just said, you messed up that chance. You know better than anyone that first impressions are important. All three times he’s seen you have been less than positive experiences.”

“I will redeem myself.” Kuroko rolled his eyes, unconvinced.

“Oh yeah? How do you intend to do that?” 

“I-”

“I’m going to go home Kuroko kun.” Furihata emerged from the hallway seeming to be slightly calmer; “ Thank you again for having me over, I really appreciate it.”

“Any time Furihata kun. I’ll see you later.”

“Furihata Kouki.” Furihata reluctantly turned to face Akashi, his expression falling back into mild annoyance;

“What do you want?” The redhead stood up and gave a slight bow of his head.

“I apologize for my brash actions. I would like to make it up to you.” Furihata looked at him skeptically;

“And how do you plan on doing that?”

“I am going to take you to a cafe. We can sit and have polite conversation in a public setting. If I upset you, it’d be easy enough to leave.” Kouki looked at him for a few seconds before responding.

“Thanks but I’ll pass.”

“Why not?”

“Not even ten minutes with you and you made me more angry than I’ve been in a long time, what makes you think sitting at a cafe would change any of that?”

“Think of it as an apology.”

“I’m still going to pass.”

“Well isn’t that rude. I thought you disliked such behavior.”

“I have no reason to be nice to you _Akashi kun_. I also have no intention of going anywhere with you, so get it out of your head.” He then turned on his heel and walked out the front door.

“I can’t believe you actually suggested that. Just let this one go Akashi kun.” Akashi turned back to Kuroko;

“Unfortunately Tetsuya, I can’t. The more I talk to your teammate, the more intrigued I become.”

“He isn’t a science experiment.”

“I never said he was.” Kuroko merely sighed and shook his head;

“Just remember, whatever happens, you brought it on yourself.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Seijuro started for the door to leave but then paused before opening it. “If you truly do care about how your teammate is treated, I’d suggest keeping Kouki away from his home for now… I’m not one hundred percent certain yet, but between several red flags in documentation and his precipitous reaction to my earlier comment, I highly suspect he has little refuge there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not super happy with how Akashi turned out, but I also don't wanna compleatly delete and rewrite everything. It's still fun to go over everything and fix little things here and there. It's been a while since I've had any fun writing, hopefully it's at least a little fun for others to read.
> 
> Thank you for reading! See you in the next chapter! ^_^


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouki gets a bit spiteful?? For lack of a better word I guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *edited after initial post

As soon as Furihata had gotten back to his own room, luckily the front door had been unlocked, all he could do was sit down on his bed and go over the day’s events so far.

“I am so dead.” Not only had he said no to one of the most terrifying people in Japan, the brunette also had the gall to blow up at him. Hopefully the emperor would leave him alone after that, but he highly doubted that would happen. He groaned and fell back on his bed, curling up on himself. After a few minutes of sitting like that, he pulled out his phone and began to timidly text Kuroko;

[Hey Kuroko kun… Akashi isn’t gonna kill me is he? >_<] It took a few minutes for him to get a response;

[No, Akashi kun isn’t really that bad.] - Kuroko

[... Even though I yelled at him?]

[It’s about time /someone/ did.] - Kuroko

[But … Is he really mad? >_<]

[I mean Kagami kun didn't yell at him and he nearly got stabbed in the face!]

[That was a different situation.] - Kuroko

[HOW!?!?!?!?]

[He could have cared less about Kagami kun. He’s interested in you.] - Kuroko

[And that’s supposed to make me feel better!?!? I just want him to leave me alone >_<]

[Unfortunately Furihata kun, I don’t think he’ll do that.] - Kuroko

[Why not? TT_TT]

[Akashi kun isn’t one to give up.] - Kuroko

[I still don’t get what’s so interesting about me. It’s kind of ridiculous that this is all because of one lucky shot in a game …]

[It wasn’t just a lucky shot Furihata kun.] - Kuroko

[Even if it wasn’t … It’s kind of ridiculous …]

[That may be true, but the fact still remains that he is interested. Just brace yourself and keep a cool head. You'll be fine.] - Kuroko

Furihata sighed at the last text he got and responded, thanking Kuroko for his advice. Afterwards, he let his phone fall to the side so that he could curl back up and cry into his pillow until he fell asleep. It was only a little after two thirty, but he was already exhausted. The next time he opened his eyes, the clock read ten fifteen pm and the television could be heard from the other room. Usually that meant that his father was either passed out on the sofa, or relaxing so that he could go to bed soon. Either way, Furihata deemed it safe enough to chance a trip to the kitchen in search of food. About halfway across the living room, his father spoke up;

“Where have you been?” The teen froze in his tracks.

“ … I was staying at a friend’s house.”

“I see.”

“ … I’m … gonna go eat.”

“Good luck with that. If you find anything, get some for me too.” The man turned back to the television and continued to watch the news as Kouki disappeared into the kitchen.

 _At least he’s not drunk._ He went over to the refrigerator, opened the door and was welcomed by the sour stench of rotting food. _Right … I was going to clean that out today …_ He sighed as his stomach growled and closed the door; too hungry to do anything about the spoiled food now. He next ventured over to the cabinet where there was a bag of rice and a couple boxes of cereal that he knew were both stale.

“Rice it is I guess.” Not long after he went back out to the living room carrying two bowls of rice and handed one to his father.

“I guess I’ll be in my room …”

“No, sit out here.” Furihata sighed and solemnly complied, sitting on the ground in front of the couch, he began to eat his rice. For the longest time, the only sound in the room was the news reporter’s voice and the occasional clink of chopsticks tapping a bowl. 

The young brunette wouldn’t have minded if not for the downpour of tension in the room. His father occasionally had nights like these where he didn’t drink much and seemed to be in a not horrible mood.

They were few and far between, but on nights like these he wouldn’t yell, wouldn’t get angry, and he would always tell Furihata and his mother that they were eating together. Still, the teen was afraid to be around him. _Maybe if he quit drinking so heavily all the time he could actually be a decent human being._ He thought to himself. It had been one of the main sources to many of his parents’ arguments. He used to wonder why his father drank so much but eventually stopped caring because he figured it really didn’t matter. The knowledge of why wouldn’t make it stop. Lost in thought, it wasn’t until after the t.v. had been turned off that he looked back at the older man.

“She’s not coming back.”

“I know.”

“Tonight I’m going to leave some money on the counter. In the morning take it with you and get some groceries after your basketball club is out.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll be working late tomorrow, Make something decent and leave it in the fridge.”

“Okay.” The two finished eating and Furihata went back to his room after cleaning up. After a couple hours of homework he was feeling drowsy again and was about to go back to bed when his phone buzzed notifying him of an incoming text message;

[When you’ve cooled your head we should meet and have a proper conversation.] - Unknown

[um, I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong number.]

[I do not. You are Furihata Kouki, correct?] - Unknown

[Um, yeah, I don’t have your number in my phone … Who is this? And why would we need to talk?]

[Right, how rude of me, this is Akashi Seijuro. You were angry earlier and I apologize for being the cause.] - Unknown

Furihata sighed into his pillow;

[I already told you to leave me alone. A normal person would respect those wishes.]

[What can I do to make you willing to meet with me?] - Akashi

[Please just leave me alone.] a few minutes passed before the next text came in, allowing Furihata to save Akashi’s number for future reference;

[Perhaps you wouldn’t mind as much if we don’t meet in person. We could start a video conference.] - Bakashi

[I don’t want to meet you, period.]

[At least consider my offer. If I say something to offend you, you can easily leave and I will leave you alone for a while, otherwise I’ll continue to contact you.] - Bakashi

Furihata mulled over the text for a minute. He still didn’t understand why someone like Akashi Seijuro would want to take any sort of interest in someone as insignificant as himself. So he made a basket in a game. It wasn’t any sort of huge accomplishment, at least not in the grand scheme of things. It was a fluke. Pure dumb luck. Compared to all the other players on the court, he was no more than a small bug to be stomped on.

Shaking his head, he shoved the thought aside and stared back down at his phone. Maybe by accepting Akashi’s proposal he could find out why he cared so much about this.

[ … Okay fine, but I’ll only truly accept this if we limit the calls to twice a week.]

[Very well, that does seem reasonable. Thank you for your cooperation. Perhaps we start tomorrow after club activities and then again on Thursday?] -Bakashi

[Fine.But I have to go grocery shopping after basketball gets out tomorrow, so you’re going to have to wait until I get home.]

After they exchanged user ID's, Furihata plugged the phone in beside his bed and curled up under the covers, the realization finally hitting him that he actually agreed to talk to Akashi. _What did I just do?_

The next day,  Akashi was feeling a bit more accomplished, finally able to reach an agreement with the brunette. It may take time, but he’d be able to get the answers he needed to get rid of the pestering thoughts in the back of his mind. For him the day went on somewhat slowly, practice went on as usual, and by the time he’d gotten home he was ready to give  Furihata  a call. That is, if  Furihata  had been online.  _ Right. He mentioned that he had an errand to run.  _ Not thinking much of it,  Akashi  sent a quick private message reminding  Furihata  to call him when he got home. In the meantime he busied himself with homework, not that it ever took him long to finish, but it was something to do for the time being. It wasn’t until about an hour in a half later that  Furihata  finally called him. Sitting back down at his desk, he answered the call.

“Hello  Furihata .”

“ … Hi.”

“Why is your camera turned off?”

“I didn’t see the point in turning it on since I’m not sitting in front of the computer”

“I see …”

“No you don’t. The camera is off.”  Akashi  was about to respond, but the loud clashing background noises paused his train of thought.

“What was that?”

“I’m in the kitchen starting to make dinner. A few things fell on the ground.”

“You wouldn’t have had to explain if I could just see what you are doing.”

“I don’t like to cook with an audience. Especially you.”  Furihata’s  voice had a bit of bitterness to it. “Plus the kitchen is nothing but a huge mess. You don’t need to see that.” He added after a moment..

“I’m only trying to make amends.”

“And I’m sure you don’t have  _ any  _ ulterior motives.”

“I'm not sure I appreciate that accusatory tone of voice.”

“You don’t have to. You’re the one who wanted this arrangement. Not me.”

“But you agreed to it.”

“And I can end this call whenever I want. Besides, You are after something else. You don't want idle chit chat while I cook dinner, you want my whole life story. Or did you already read  _ that  _ in a confidential file too?”  Akashi  rubbed his temples, trying to prevent the incoming headache that he felt; “And don’t forget, you might not be able to see me, but your camera is on. I feel as though I struck a nerve. Am I right?”

“I just-”

“What? Did you think I was going to be happy to talk to you on a regular basis? After what you said to me you should be happy I'm talking to you at all." It was apparent that he was becoming more irritated as time went on.

“While I am enjoying your venting so much, I should remind you that I only have so much patience for someone talking down to me in such a manner that you are.” He began glaring into the camera; “Are you quite finished?”  Furihata  remained silent after that for a few moments.

“... Maybe now is a good time to stop for today.”

“No, just continue making dinner. It will be fine.”

“Fine for you maybe. You actually want to talk”

“I don’t think I’d consider this ‘talking’, but it is a conversation.”

“How long is this ‘conversation’ going to last?”

“As long as it needs to. What are you making anyways?”

“I already told you. Dinner.”

“You know what I meant.”

“I’m making chicken with pickled ginger and curry. Then I’m going to make some seaweed wraps with vegetables.” Akashi’s nose crinkled;

“That isn’t food.”

“Yes it is.”

“No, that’s a cry for help from your sense of taste.”

“Well I’m not cooking for you so don’t criticize. Besides, it’s a perfectly healthy meal.”

“I never said it wasn’t healthy.”

“What? Do you have something against chicken with curry?”

“No, seaweed.”

“Well if I ever end up cooking for you, I’ll be sure to give you extra.”

“That’s just cruel.” They continued with idle chatter until  Furihata  was done making the food and had put his father’s portion in the somewhat cleaned out fridge.

“Finally I can eat. I should probably take it to my room though … Anyways, I have a ton of homework, so I’m gonna hang up now.”

“I could always help you wi-”

“No, I can do it on my own. You’d be more of an unwanted distraction.”

“I used to help Tetsuya, I really wouldn’t mind.”

“I already said I can do it on my own.”

“Fine, but if you get stuck-”

“I won’t.”

“Very well. Have a good evening.” Akashi sighed as the call was ended,

Furihata  somehow miraculously managed to carry both his computer and plate of food back to his bedroom without tripping or dropping anything.  _ Besides, if I have trouble with homework I can just ask one of my classmates. _

About an hour or two later  Furihata had finally finished what he needed to and turned off his light, flopping into bed. Not long after he’d decided to go to bed did he hear the front door open and slam shut, his father’s unmistakable footsteps heading towards the kitchen.  Kouki  let out a sigh of relief when he heard the microwave come to life. His father would likely leave him alone, opting to watch tv and drink for a while before going to bed himself. With this less anxious train of thought, he was able to bury his head back into his pillow and fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you for reading! I have maybe a few chapters worth of content left to go through before I'll be all caught up and can start directing this story a bit more rather than just going along for the ride with y'all.
> 
> I honestly don't remember what was going through my head when I wrote it, but I'm considering it as a gift from my past me. XD


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are made, and plans are postponed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter, but next time we're gonna be changing POV. Hopefully you all enjoy it!

Several weeks passed by like this. Most days Furihata would go from school, to basketball club, then home. Lately his father had become slightly more docile, so long as Kouki minded himself and had dinner ready when he got home there was never any trouble. It was a strange kind of peace and he couldn't help the sinking wave of anxiety that washed over him whenever the older man passed by his door frame, but he wasn’t about to complain about it. Most nights he'd get home, eat, watch the news, then go to bed. Which suited Kouki just fine. They had an unspoken arrangement. Every so often there’d be some cash left on the counter for him to use on groceries and few other necessities.

He was even almost enjoying the bi-weekly chats with the redhead. Over the last few weeks they had gotten a little more friendly with each other, Akashi now understanding some of his boundaries. What things were easy to talk about and what needed to be skirted around in order to keep the Brunette from getting upset and hanging up. The things they talked about were somewhat frivolous, but neither of them were ever really bored by the conversation. 

They would talk about Basketball, how their teams were doing. About their hobbies, at one point Akashi had even tried to teach him some shogi strategies in vain and in return Furihata had gone on about some of the trains that he thought were really cool. He didn’t really understand why or how the redhead was still talking to him or how he was interesting at all, but he no longer disliked talking to him. If Akashi lived in Tokyo or anywhere nearby he honestly wouldn’t mind meeting up for lunch or something if asked.

“I have a question.” 

He had to roll his eyes at that.

“You always have a question Akashi.”

“And you seldom have any.” 

Furihata sighed.

“What?”

“I apologise if this is a sensitive subject, and you do not need to answer if you do not wish to, but I often hear your father milling about the house, never your mother. Does she not live there as well?”

He had to sit and think about his answer for a moment.

“No. She walked out on us a couple weeks or so before you started harassing me.” Looking up at the screen from his homework, Kouki thought he might have seen a wave of regret flash across the other boy’s face.

“... You have my sympathies then.”

He merely shrugged and went back to the math sheets that were in front of him.

“It wasn’t all that surprising, or even really a huge loss. She and my father had been constantly arguing for years, it was only a matter of time. It was a little rough at first,” An understatement. “ but I think things are starting to calm down a bit. We’re …. Settling into a new normal I guess is the best way to describe it. What about you? You’re always asking questions about my home life, but I still know next to nothing about yours. What are your parents like?” A deflection more than any sort of interest.

“I lost my own mother at a young age, though she passed away rather than just left. Otherwise it’s just my father and I. He’s stern and expects much from me as his heir, but he’s always been supportive of my hobbies. I’ve never had any true qualms.” 

Against his wishes, Furihata’s own curiosity was piqued;

“Hey Akashi, if you can remember... what was your mom like?”

“My mother?” He pondered for a moment. “Well … I’ve nothing but fond memories of her. She was kind, protective, and if I’m being honest, most of the things I enjoy doing now she had either taught me how or had encouraged me to try. When she became sick I recall often reading to her. I admit it was difficult for both my father and I to accept her passing.”

“Oh.” Furihata wasn’t really sure how else to respond to that. He found himself envious, though he wasn’t going to admit it. “Well then … I’m sorry for your loss as well … It might have been nice to meet her.”

“Thank you.”

“... Um, if it’s all the same to you, I think I’m just going to go to bed now… Goodnight Akashi.”

“Goodnight Kouki.” The brunette sighed at the use of his name and hung up the call, not really in the mood to argue over it that night. He put the last of his homework in his bag and climbed into bed.  _ She was kind, huh?  _ He pondered what it may have been like to have a mother like Akashi’s but then dismissed the thought, instead drifting off to sleep, thinking of his brother.  _ I miss you Ryuu. What would you do if you were here? _

The next morning while  Kouki  was getting ready to go he found a note on the kitchen counter;

_ I want Kiyomi’s shit out of the attic by Friday. _

_ I don’t care how or where else you put it, trash it, or sell it, _

_ just get it done. _

He sighed at the note and left for school.  _ That old ladder isn’t going to make transporting boxes easy … Maybe Fukuda and Kawahara can help me … _

School was more or less like any other day, he met up with his friends in class, Kagami was complaining about how Kuroko always got away with sleeping in class while the bluenette teased him about his grades as he began to doze off already.

“Hey Fukuda” He called over to his friend.

“What’s up?”

“Ah, I'm sorry to ask, but do you think you’d be able to come over to my house sometime this week to help me with something? There’s a bunch of old stuff in the attic that my dad wants me to get rid of, and ah, there’s a lot. I’m gonna try and recruit Kawahara too, but many hands make light work and all that. I mean it’s totally cool if you can’t or don’t want-” He was cut off by his friend’s laugh.

“I can help you, I have a dentist appointment today, but tomorrow or the next day should be fine. Oh! If Kowahara is available, this’ll be the first time we see your house. You can give us the grand tour and everything. It’ll be fun!”

The blood drained out of his face.  _ Right … That … _

“Ah, yeah. Tons of fun …” He managed to put on a fake smile and try to reassure himself.  _ Note to self … Clean EVERYTHING. _

The day went on as usual. During their lunch break they let Kawahara in on the plan to clean. He agreed and they decided on that Thursday. Until then there was a lot to get done.

As soon as he got home that night he started cleaning. Taking out the garbage, making sure the old beer cans were picked up, straightening out his bedroom. As he cooked dinner he got the worst of the kitchen mess cleaned. Tomorrow he could go up to the attic and start sorting through what was garbage and what could be donated or repurposed and at least make a little headway on his own. Homework was just going to have to be a lost cause for a few days. He could use the weekend to get caught back up. He hated feeling like he was taking advantage of his friends, but he was sure that  _ someone  _ would be willing to help him. Maybe he’d take Akashi up on his offer to help with school work after all, he was bothering his friends enough with this …  _ Akashi …. OH SHIT AKASHI. _

He’d completely forgotten in his scramble to get everything done that their regular days to chat were Mondays and Thursdays. Getting out his phone he sent a quick message.

[Hey Akashi, I’m super busy this week and my friends are coming over Thursday after school to help me get rid of a bunch of my mom’s old stuff. You mind if we postpone our call this week until Friday?]

He pocketed the phone, not expecting an answer right away, only to have it buzz in response a few seconds later.

[I’m attending a meeting with my Father Friday evening. I do not mind if we postpone the call until after your friends go home.] -Bakashi

[Uhh, I dunno how late they’re gonna stay, but okay I guess.]

[See you then Kouki.] -Bakashi

Furihata put his phone away with a sigh and went back to scrubbing the counters. The house probably still wasn’t going to look great, but at least it wasn’t going to be a dump.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooookay. 4 chapters posted in one day. (er, 2 days according to ao3??? pretty sure today is still the 28th, but whatever XD) Cool. Great. Still have a bit more to edit before I'm all caught up, but once I get through it new chapters are gonna take a bit more time. Especially since my weekend is over.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! And thank you all for the Kudos!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit hits the fan and Kouki isn't gonna be happy.

Akashi considered himself a fairly patient person. He understood that the Brunette had a life and friends outside of talking to him twice a week. He’d grown to enjoy most of their conversations and was at a loss for what to do now while he waited. His original intent behind the calls had been mostly forgotten, it didn’t really matter anymore. Kouki had proven to be an individual with many surprises. At a glance, he could see how the boy was often easily overlooked.He kept to himself, had some fairly tame hobbies, and whether it was intentional or not, kept most everyone at a distance.

Akashi had honestly been surprised when he was told that the two other boys had been invited over to help. In one of their previous conversations Kouki had told him that he’d never actually had any of his friends over to his house. He’d always been the guest rather than the host, probing further on that topic had proven to be futile. He was well practiced in his ability to change the subject, something that Seijuro just had to go along with if he wanted to continue with any sort of conversation.

The brunette didn’t seem to mind talking about most things, so long as the conversation didn’t turn over to his family. Especially if any mention of the boy’s brother was made. He’d discovered rather quickly that the topic would cause a call to come to a complete halt if Seijuro were to bring him up at all. Not that he was never brought up in conversation. Kouki would occasionally talk about him on his own though, whether it was on purpose or not it was always just a side comment that he’d refuse to elaborate on.

Akashi had taken it as a sign that Furihata was maybe opening up to him a little more. A large step forward from the first week they’d started this ritual.  _ Forward towards what though?  _ He couldn’t help but ponder. He continued to go over the calls in his mind searching for an answer.

He thought back to different conversations. How he’d give the slightest of smiles when talking about his team and how hard everyone was working, the way his brows would knit together while he was working on homework and would refuse assistance. All the subtle facial expressions he’d make when trying to avoid a specific topic. Whenever he’d had a good day his eyes would light up and he’d excitedly talk about whatever had happened. Akashi mulled it all over until a certain word popped into his head. 

_ Fondness.  _ He sighed and supposed it made sense. The original intent behind these conversations had all but diminished and he couldn’t find it in himself to care. Perhaps it was time to let him go. After all, these calls were entirely for his own benefit. He didn’t want to inconvenience the other boy anymore, who seemed to only regard the calls as a nuisance. His phone buzzed, indicating a new message.]

[Hey uh, my friends are still here but it sounds like they’ll have to go home soon. If it’s not too late and you don’t mind me running around still putting stuff away I can give you a call when they leave.] -Kouki

Akashi couldn’t help but smile a little.

[That is fine with me. I will be awake for some time.]

[Okay.] -Kouki

About half an hour later Furihata finally called him.

“Sorry that took so long, there’s a lot to do here. I kinda wish one of them could have stayed a little longer, but I’m mostly just grateful I had some help.”

Akashi  scanned the background.

“There’s no reason to worry about it … That’s a lot of boxes.”

“Tell me about it! I didn’t realize I lived with a pack rat.”

“No?”

“I’m honestly surprised the ceiling hasn’t collapsed with all the stuff that’s been stored up there in the attic.”  Furihata  moved around the computer, plugging the charger cord into the wall and then proceeded to climb back up into the attic for another box.

“Are all the boxes down here already from just today?”

“No, I was able to get some on my own yesterday, but a majority  o f it was done today.”

“Then take a break. Are your friends going to help you again tomorrow?”  Furihata  started back down the latter, carefully leaning back against the wood with the box he carried during his descent, taking each step at a time.

“I don’t want to bother them a second day in a row.”

“If they’re really your friends they wouldn’t mind. Just take a break for the night, you’re going to hurt yourself.”

“I really need to get as many boxes out as I can though. That means there will be less work later.” He explained as he set the box down and went back up for another.

“Just how many are left?”

“Not too many more. I might actually be able to finish on my own tonight if I work fast enough, I won’t have to bother Fukuda  kun and Kawahara  kun , so they can go home and relax after practice. I kind of feel bad for having them over today. Coach has been working us a lot harder lately and we were already pretty wiped out before we started moving all this stuff around.”

“If you’re already exhausted then stop”

“I thought you were the type to want to get things done. I figured you of all people would understand, but I could have been wrong about that.”

“That’s not what I meant. As much as I prefer to get things done, you still need to know your limits.”  Furihata  stopped to think for a moment;

“I’d still rather get as much done as I possibly can tonight though. My dad wants it all out of the attic by tomorrow and I’d rather have the work done sooner than later.” they continued to talk as the brunette went up to get another box.

“You really didn’t give yourself much time for this.”

“I gave myself plenty of time! Besides, there are only about five or six boxes left no-AAHHHH!”  Akashi  nearly stood up after seeing Furihata fall from the ladder as he was coming back down;

“Are you alright  Kouki ?”

“Mmnnnnooowwwww, I’m okay, I just hurt. One of the steps broke.”  Akashi  heard him sigh as he slowly stood back up. “luckily it looks like it was just clothes in that box. It should be easy to clean up, but I don’t know how I’m going to be able to keep taking boxes down with the step all busted … Maybe if I use enough duct tape-”

“No, that’d be even more dangerous. I suggest you get a proper ladder and finish with someone else there.”  Kouki  rolled his eyes and spoke sarcastically;

“Yeah, I’ll just do that with all the money I don’t have.” He sighed again and knelt down onto the floor and began tossing everything back into the box.

“...”

“Oh, does the privileged emperor not have anything to say to that?”

“Your animosity is uncalled for  Kouki . I was giving you a suggestion so that you might not injure yourself further.”  Furihata  merely shook his head and looked back at the broken ladder as if something had just occurred to him.

“Dad’s not going to be happy about that … Maybe there’s something around here I can use to fix it ...” afterwards it seemed as though he had forgotten about everything else and began running through the house looking for something to fix the ladder with. From the other rooms  Akashi  could only hear clanging sounds and the panicked brunette’s occasional curse until he came back into view, scrambling up the broken ladder, skipping the dud step.

“It seems like an old ladder, you think your father would truly be cross with you over such an accident?”

“None of your business!” He called down from the room. There were more loud noises that continued up until the sound of a door was heard, then everything stopped.

“This place is a fuckin’ dump.  Kouki ! Why is this shit everywhere?!” Kouki poked his head out from the top of the steps and glanced from the computer to the figure that had just come inside.

“Y-your note said you wanted mom’s stuff out of the attic by Friday and to put it anywhere …” His attention went back to the computer and he called out in a hushed voice; “hang up!”

Perplexed, Akashi could only watch, opting to see what was going to happen.  Kouki  would be angry at him for it later, but curiosity and concern outweighed it all. He wanted to see what about the older man made him so panicked.

The brunette glanced desperately between the two and groaned inwardly, praying that nothing too bad would happen. His father finally opened his mouth after thinking back to the note he’d written.

“... Fine then just get this shit out of sight by Friday. Sell it, burn it, toss it in a trash heap for all I care. I don’t want it here anymore.”  Kouki  nodded, relieved that the matter had been settled and his father started towards the couch but then stopped when he saw the ladder causing  Kouki  to wince. 

“The fuck did you do to my ladder boy?”

“I-I didn’t do anything! Th-the box was heavy and the step broke as I was coming down…”

“Get your ass down here!”

“B-but-”

“Now!”

“I-I’ll fix it! A-after I get rid of the stuff, I-I’ll take care of it!”

“Don’t make me climb up there!”  Furihata  made some sort of undignified squeak and disappeared into the attic.  Akashi  felt the concern grow even further as he watched  Kouki’s  father ascend the ladder, cursing as he nearly slipped on the broken step. He too disappeared into the attic. 

Seijuro could hear the older man shouting,  Kouki pleading, and the sound of things getting knocked over and breaking. Unable to do anything else from where he was, he picked up his phone and called the police department.

“Kyoto police department, what’s your emergency?”

“I’d like to report a violent argument and possible case of abuse.” Akashi described the situation and gave the woman  Kouki ’s address.

“Thank you for reporting. We will dispatch some officers and an ambulance in the area to check on the situation.”   
“Thank you.” As he was ending the call  Furihata came tumbling down the ladder and cried out in pain when he connected with the floor.

“ Kouki ?!” He merely groaned as his father came barreling down after him and finally caught sight of the computer. His face was painted with rage as he picked up the laptop and chucked it against a wall. 

Akashi  couldn’t tell the extent of damage the computer had taken, but the camera lens was intact. The microphone seemed to be only slightly working since it would only pick up every few words here and there. The video feed alone became useless quickly due to the older man dragging  Kouki  into the next room, out of frame.

Seijuro called two servants, having one call for the chauffeur, and the other to keep watching the video feed to inform him of everything that goes on during the drive to Tokyo. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to get much information until the police showed up at the house and took the father into custody. The paramedics only came into the house to question the person on the other end of the video call.  Kouki  had been thrown through a window and was already outside.

After receiving all the information he was going to get, he informed his driver  of which hospital to go. The rest of the drive over he couldn't stop fidgeting in his seat, anxious to make sure the boy would be alright.  _ Perhaps Tetsuya would be able to get there first and keep me updated. Ah, Tetsuya! His classmates! His coach!  _ Digging his phone back out he tried to calm his mind, thinking of a proper message for the Seirin coach. He’d call Tetsuya first to get her number and inform him of the situation. __

The phone rang and rang until he got an answering machine.

He tried again. After about five rings, the bluenette finally answered. His voice tired and muddled.

“Akashi kun. Do you know what time it is?”

“In all honesty Tetsuya, no. I’ve not looked at the clock in some time, but I need you to go to the hospital. Now. And I need your coach’s phone number as soon as possible.” The line was silent for a moment before he was answered.

“What happened?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! One more chapter to go I think before I'm all caught up with this story. Then I can do whatever I want without a ridiculous amount of re-writes! (not that there hasn't already been a ridiculous amount of re-writes, hot damn I wrote Akashi WAY too aggressively, and Furi equally defensive. Nothing was gonna progress like that.)
> 
> Anyway hope you like it! Let me know what you think! :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fun at the hospital

Furihata  awoke with a groan and tried to sit up. Quickly regretting the decision as a sharp pain erupted throughout his back, he let out a pained cry and laid back down trying to catch his breath.

“I’d advise against too much movement. You could tear the stitches and reopen your wounds.” Surprised, the brunette looked over and saw  Akashi  sitting in a chair. Arms crossed, eyes closed, and his head leaning back against the wall. He looked exhausted.

“What-”

“I called the police when your father chased after you. Once he threw your computer I had someone drive me here. I was told that you were thrown through a window. The doctors had only finished stitching you up when I arrived.”  Furihata  could feel the panic welling up inside of him as the situation pieced itself together in his mind.  Akashi  lifted his head and opened his eyes.

“Why- what- what did you do that for? Why are you here?!”

“I called the police because your father could have killed you.”

“No he wouldn’t have. Why didn’t you end the call?! I don’t need you butting into my life!

“Obviously you need  _ someone _ to. Kouki, He pushed you down a ladder, dragged you into another room, beat you up, and threw you  _ through _ a glass panel. You can’t honestly think you can go back to living in that kind of environment.”

“There’s nothing wrong with ‘ _ that kind of environment’  _ because that’s not what it’s like!” Furihata could feel himself grasping at straws “It’s not what you think, I’m just clumsy, I fell down the stairs and, and my father was dragging me into the room to- to look for the first-aid kit! It wasn’t what it looked like!” 

“Why are you defending him? He’s obviously an abusive parent. Do you actually think any Judge in their right mind is going to believe that he is innocent? And I highly doubt either of you have enough money for bribery.” Furihata went pale

“W-why would it matter what a Judge would think?”

“Your father is in police custody, I was told he violently resisted arrest, there were multiple witnesses that were able to report what had happened, you are in the hospital with injuries that are obviously linked to what happened, and if your neighbors were home at the time they must have heard what was going on. Plus I know for a fact there have been numerous calls to the police in the past from them concerned about possible domestic violence. That sounds like a fairly open and shut case to me.”

“I told you that’s not what happened!”

“Deny it all you want Kouki. Facts are facts. Your father will be punished.” The room fell silent and Furihata turned his face away from Akashi. He spoke softly, not trusting his full voice;

“Everything was fine. He was getting better ... Why can’t you just leave me alone?” 

“If I had it’s highly likely that you’d be dead now.” The room was silent for another several minutes before Seijuro sighed and spoke up again, changing the subject;

“It’s alright if you don’t want to say anything, but at the very least I would like to help you figure out your living situation for when you leave. You can’t go back to that house, and I’m sure the idea of foster care isn’t one you’d like to entertain.”

“I’m not going to Kyoto with yo-”

“No, I wasn’t going to suggest that.”  Furihata  shook his head;

“My house is just fine. I don’t want or need any more of your ‘help’. You’ve done enough damage already.”

“For now would you just listen to my proposal? When your father ends up in prison your house will likely be either cleaned up and rented out to a new family, or foreclosed because of it’s horrendous condition.”

“The house isn’t unstable, It’s just messy and needs a few minor repairs done.” Akashi shook his head and decided against arguing the condition of the house;

“Even still, you need a place to stay. I talked to Tetsuya earlier and he said both he and his grandmother would be happy to let you stay with them for a while-”

“I really like Kuroko kun and his grandma, but I don’t want to take advantage of their kindness.”

“If you would let me finish, that is one of three options available to you. The second is that I could find you an apartment to stay at on your own, after you’ve physically recovered and are capable of taking care of yourself. In that case you would still end up staying at Tetsuya’s home for a little while, but not nearly as long I imagine.”

“I can-

“Or you can go into foster care until you graduate.”

“I can take care of myself. All of those options are bad. And even if you did find an apartment for me, there’d be no way for me to afford it. I don’t have a job.”

“You wouldn’t have to.”

“What? You’re going to pay for my living expenses? I know your family is ridiculously rich and all, but that’s not technically your money to spend yet right? Unless you’re just a spoiled rich kid who gets everything he wants.” Akashi took a moment, attempting to collect himself.

“I don’t think you quite understand the position you’re in. I don’t know if it has anything to do with your delusions that everyone is going to believe that all of this was just an accident. I can’t even comprehend why you feel the need to defend someone who has likely been abusing you your whole life when liberation is right around the corner. What’s more, you seem to be trying as hard as you can to push away any help that is offered to get you on with your life.” Looking back over to Kouki, who was beginning to look frustrated himself, he sighed and shook his head;

“To answer your question, I informed my father of the situation and made a request to give you an allowance until you are able to find employment and support yourself if you so choose to accept it. I won’t accept an answer from you now, it’s something I believe you need to really think about before you outright refuse.”

“Why does this matter to you so much? Why do you even care? There’s nothing wrong with my house, it just needs some cleaning up and it’ll be fine. It’s been paid off for years now and if I get a job I could easily cover all the utilities myself.”

“I just told you to wait and think all your options over. That house is in no condition for anyone to live there. The roof is sagging, there’s trash everywhere, half the windows are unuseable, and I don’t even want to try and imagine all of the other problems there could be with the foundation and support, not to mention the multitude of other things that could go wrong in a house like that. I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets condemned after this investigation, and if it’s not I’ll send a contractor to take a look at it and ensure it’s deemed unfit.Not to mention how it would undoubtedly have a horrid affect on your mental health.” He paused for a moment. “And I care because despite how much you appear to dislike me, I’ve come to think of you as at the very least a friend of sorts. Do with that information what you will.”

Furihata sighed in defeat;

“I’ll have to go pick up some of my stuff. I don’t care about most of it, but there are a few things I don’t want to leave there …”

“Kouki … Why did you put up with this? Why did you never report him? You must have known what he was doing was wrong. You went to such lengths to hide it.”

“I already told you I’m not hiding anything.”

“You know I don’t believe you.”

“I know you think I need help, but I don’t. Stop trying to find answers that don’t exist.” Akashi sighed;

“Fine I’ll stop for now. In the meantime we should both try to get some rest.” He rolled his eyes in response and turned his face away again, unable to fall back asleep, Furihata decided to listen to the surrounding sounds. The sounds of the heart monitor and eventually the soft snores of the redhead. It was difficult to get comfortable in the hospital beds. Especially with all of the wires and bandages restricting movement. The pain all along his back didn’t help either. Anyways, it gave him some time to think.

_ Maybe I really should take Akashi up on his offer … No, that would be rude. It’s too much. But … I also don’t wanna be an inconvenience to Kuroko kun … Maybe … once I’m healed I can quit basketball and get a job … Then I won’t have to feel so guilty and I can find an apartment on my own …  _ He sighed  _ I guess that sounds like the best way to go.  _ He looked back over to Akashi’s sleeping form.  _ And then there’s the other part of this. I’m his friend? Why? I didn’t DO anything.  _ This thought process had to stop. While he didn’t dislike Akashi anymore, he was still conflicted about the whole thing and frankly, it was giving him a headache.

Luckily not too much time had passed before a nurse came in to check on him.

Akashi had woken up when she opened the sliding door and moved the curtain out of her way.

“Oh, I see you’ve woken up.” Her voice was annoyingly cheerful. Kouki wondered how the people working in the hospital were able to always keep up such a positive disposition. “How are you feeling Furihata kun?”

“I’ve been better. Everything hurts.” She nodded and took out a clipboard.

“I’m going to turn on one of the lights, alright?”

“... Okay.” He shielded his eyes as she walked over to the light switches and flipped one on. Furihata slowly moved his arm away from his face and got himself used to the harsh light.

“On a scale of one to ten how would you rate your pain?”

“That depends on which pain you’re talking about.”

“Where does it hurt the most?”

“My back and my left ankle” she nodded and started writing his response.

“How would you rate them?”

“Umm … maybe a six or seven? When I tried to sit up earlier my back was more like an eleven though” another nod. After that she asked more of the usual questions. Allergies, medications, smoking, drinking, etcetera.

“Alright Furihata, I’ll come back with some more pain medication for you. If you need anything please push the call button and someone should come in to help you soon as they can.”

“Thank you.” She smiled and left the room without touching the lightswitch, he sighed as Akashi got up and turned it back off.

“... Thanks.” he got a sleepy grunt in return.

“ … You should go back home. I don’t need anyone here.” His head shook, eyes closed again;

“I live in Kyoto.” The realization hit the brunette.

“That’s right … But … You drove six hours to sit in a hospital chair?!”

“Looks like it. Besides, it was more like four. There wasn’t much traffic and we went a bit faster than the speed limit.”

“We? Who else is here?”

“I don’t have a driver’s license Kouki, and my driver isn’t here anymore. I had him go stay at a decent motel.”

“But, what about school? And practice? You’re the team captain right?”

“In about an hour or two I’ll call in sick, and I already gave Reo the schedule for today’s practice, he can take charge for a day. I also got your coach’s number from Tetsuya and informed her that you wouldn’t be at practice for a while. She has yet to respond, but I’m sure when she wakes up she will.”

“Today’s? … What time is it?” Akashi looked at his phone;

“Four fifteen am.”

“What time did you get here?”

“I got here around three.” Furihata rested his head back onto the pillow.

“Why did you come? You had to know you’d just be sitting in an uncomfortable chair all night.”

“To be as honest as possible, I was worried. I didn’t know when the paramedics were going to get there, how far your father would have gone, if you were going to be alright. There were too many unknown variables, I was worried and I wanted to come. With as much time as it takes to get to Tokyo from Kyoto I didn’t have the time to put more thought into it than that before I left.”

“I was pretty mad at you earlier … It didn’t cross your mind that I might still be mad at you and tell you to leave?”

“During the car ride the thought definitely crossed my mind.”

“But you still-”

“Alright, I’m back. Sorry for the wait Furihata. I’m going to turn the light on again okay?” The nurse came in with her usual smile and a tray and flipped on the light before he could react. “This is a strong anaesthetic, you should fall asleep not long after it’s administered, but it should relieve the pain before that.”

“Oh … um, okay … thank you.”

“Of course. I’m going to need to borrow your arm for a minute or two.” She took the brunette’s arm looking for a vein, tied it off, and cleaned the area. Kouki sighed;

“I don’t like shots.”

“Most people don’t. It’s just going to be a little poke.” She responded, filling the syringe.

“I know.” He braced himself for the needle, but still winced when it poked into his arm. The nurse left afterwards, remembering to turn the light back off, and Kouki soon drifted to sleep.

Later in the afternoon, Furihata was given pain prescriptions and a pair of crutches, then released from the hospital after it was confirmed that he had a place to stay.

“You really don’t have to go with me to get my stuff … and you didn’t have to give me a change of clothes ...” Kouki said as he and Akashi got into the elevator to the garage. “The fact that you’re giving me a ride makes it less necessary.”

“You’re supposed to stay off of your ankle. You can’t do that if you’re hobbling all over town. Besides, you couldn’t leave the hospital in your bloody clothes.” Furihata shifted uncomfortably in the loose shirt and shorts but decided to drop the subject and focus on the other.

“I have crutches. It’s not the first time I’ve gotten injured like this.”

“I know. That doesn’t change the fact that you shouldn’t be walking around on a fractured ankle.” The brunette sighed as they got into the car.

“Honestly, it’s fine. Thank you for the ride though. Kuroko kun’s house isn’t too far away from mine.”  _ It will be difficult, but I should be able to make the trip just fine ... _

“You aren’t walking four miles on crutches with your stuff.”

“I have a bag to put it all in. It’s not like I’m planning on trying to carry a box. That would be a nightmare.”

“No. And I don’t know why you’re so insistent on rejecting my help.”

“I accepted the ride to my house.”

“Reluctantly.” He sighed; “Kouki, I know I’m not your favorite person, but I’m not the only one who cares for your well being. Every two or three hours, Riko sends me texts from your team asking how you’re doing. So if not for yourself, or even me, let yourself heal so that your friends don’t worry.” Kouki sighed;

“... fine. I still don’t know what to think about letting you help me so much. I feel bad.”

“I want to help. You shouldn’t feel bad about that.”

“Maybe not … But I still do. Um ... And I uh …” He paused, somewhat afraid to ask.

“What is it Kouki?”

“Do you think maybe … We can stop with the video calls … Just for a little while so that I can collect my thoughts and decide what to do.” He chanced a glance at Akashi and immediately regretted it. He looked almost like a kicked puppy.

“If not for those video calls you could very well still have chunks of glass embedded in your back.” He sounded distant.

“My phone was in my pocket … I would have been able to call for an ambulance on my own … Or my dad would have. He can be violent, but he still had enough sense to-”

“Do you hear yourself Kouki?!” Furihata was silent as Akashi’s voice became stern, his concern for the brunette shifting into frustration;

“The man who you call father, throws you through a window, but oh, ‘it’s okay because he’ll call for an ambulance later.’ Or, ‘well, even if he doesn’t it’s fine because I could have called for one myself.’ I don’t know whether to call that selfish, self destructive, or even reckless!” His voice rose.

“You don’t understand! I-”

“No! No I don’t Kouki! So please,  _ by all means _ ! Make me understand why you’d routinely make excuses for him! All while knowing  _ full well _ that you shouldn’t have to!” He could have kept shouting at the smaller boy, and in his fury, he almost did. But the look on the brunette’s face made him stop. He was afraid. Terrified. There were tears pooling in his eyes. Akashi sighed and sat back in his seat, trying to reign in his emotions. Only then did he realize that the car had stopped moving.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.” What felt like an eternity passed before Furihata softly spoke up again;

“Kuroko kun’s grandmother has a car ... I’m sure she won’t mind picking me up after I collect my things.” Seijuro nodded;

“That’s … That’s probably for the best.”

“ … Thank you for the ride.” Again, he nodded. Kouki got out of the car and went into the disheveled house. The redhead sighed and told the driver to start back towards the Akashi estate and sent Kuroko one last text before the long silent drive home.

[I made a mistake.]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should really stockpile some of these chapters instead of posting as I finish. Maybe release one a day instead of EVERYTHING that I have. What can I say, I'm impatient. XD
> 
> Too late now though I guess. Enjoy!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Furihata needs to set his priorities straight

No sooner than closing the front door behind him did Kouki collapse onto the floor and burst into tears. He knew Akashi wasn’t wrong, but he also couldn’t be farther from being right. That wasn’t why he was upset though. Akashi scared him. Not in the sense of ‘Oh, this person is terrifying’ like last year’s winter cup. He couldn’t quite describe it. There was no real threat behind the anger, not like with his parents, but it was there, it scared him, and it hurt.

He sat there and cried for who knows how long before collecting his crutches along with his medication and slowly stood up. He walked around the house surveying the damage from the night before, wiping his eyes and nose on the sleeve of the borrowed shirt. Furihata started in the living room. The shattered window let in a cool breeze, he walked closer to look out to where he had fallen into the bushes and was startled at the amount of dried blood there was on just the leaves. He shivered, exceedingly conscious of the tight skin and sore itchy cuts on his back.

Backing away from the window, he looked around the rest of the living room. His eyes resting on every new hole in the far wall, the flipped over arm chair, the broken tv, and the boxes of junk strewn everywhere. He hobbled over to the demolished kitchen. 

The doors to most of the cabinets were either barely hanging on or completely torn off the hinges. Granted, the kitchen had already been in terrible disrepair before the scuffle. The biggest difference was all the glass from the bowls on the floor. He sighed and went back to the entryway to pick up the computer that had been thrown. 

_ All of this damage over an old broken piece of wood.  _ Furihata looked down at his poor computer. The screen was cracked, some of the keys had popped out, parts of the plastic casing were coming apart, and the joints that connected at the center were chipped. 

_ Well, it could be in worse condition … I hope it still works.  _ He picked it up. Grabbed the cord and went into his room to grab his backpack as well as some clothing, a few books, his pillow, favorite blanket, and sports bag, which he jammed a few more outfits into. He made another quick scan of his room before grabbing his phone charger and calling Kuroko’s grandmother.

“Kouki dear, I thought you and young Seijuro would be here by now. Is everything alright?”

“Ah, yeah, it’s fine … Akashi and I … we had an argument when we got to my house … I was wondering … if it’s not too much trouble, could you pick me up please? I mean I’d hate to be a bother and can totally walk if you’re busy-” He began rambling and she had to cut him off.

“Of course. No trouble at all. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Thank you.” He gave her directions to the house and they hung up. After three trips Furihata had both bags, his pillow, and blanket out on the porch just as she pulled up to the property.

When the older woman got out of the car and close enough to see the extent of his injuries, taking in the bruises and bandages, the kind smile that she almost always wore fell and she took him gently into her arms.

“Oh, you poor child.” She held him like that for a few minutes before letting go. “I’ll get all your things, you just go sit in the car. Tetsuya will be home from practice in a couple hours. Before then I’ll help you get settled in the guest room and make us all a nice dinner.”

All Furihata could trust himself to do without crying again was nod and do as she said, getting into the passenger seat while she carried all of his belongings to the car. Only when they pulled into the driveway of Kuroko’s home was he able to speak again.

“Thank you Kuroko san. I’m sorry to be so much trouble.”

“No dear. You’re no trouble at all. And please, call me Fumiya. I know that Seijuro has an idea for your living arrangements, but until your wounds are fully healed I want you to stay here.”

“I … I couldn’t do that. I really appreciate it, but I’d feel like I’m taking advantage of your generosity …”

“Nonsense. I insist.”

“Well … only if you’re sure. And if Kuroko kun is okay with it.”

“I don’t see why he wouldn't be. Now, let’s get you moved in and settled shall we?”

It wasn’t until after practice that Kuroko got Akashi’s text. He gave a short and quick response asking about what had happened and kept his phone out as he got ready to leave.

“Any new updates Kuroko?” Fukuda and Kawahara were the two most shaken about what had happened. They’d been at the house not even an hour before Furihata’s father got home. They didn’t know all of the details, Akashi had only given them the basic information in his initial text to Riko. Around ten thirty the boy’s father got angry and attacked him. The police were called and he was hospitalized. Later they were told that his back needed stitches and his ankle was fractured.

Kuroko shook his head.

“No, nothing new.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“ … If you want to see him I’m sure Grandmother wouldn’t mind making enough food for two more.” The two looked up to him;

“Really? Are you sure?” Fukuda asked.

“I don’t see why not” The bluenette picked up his phone and sent a message letting his grandma know of the two extra guests coming over before putting it in his pocket. “We’re going to make a quick stop at Maji burger first though. I want a Milkshake.”  After they were all dressed, the trio went to Maji burger and then straight to the house. Kuroko’s grandmother greeted them all with a smile.

“Good evening boys, I hope you’re hungry. Dinner is almost done.” The two darker haired boys nodded and looked around anxiously.

“Don’t worry, Kouki is in the guest room. He fell asleep shortly after we got here.”

“Wasn’t Akashi kun supposed to drop him off?” Kuroko asked, concerned that the redhead hadn’t responded.

“It seems as though they had an argument. Kouki called me and asked if I would pick him up at his house instead.”

“Why is Akashi involved anyways?” Fukuda asked, “I mean, it’s good that he called the police, but how did he know?”

“Akashi kun has been trying to get to know Furihata kun. They’ve been talking to each other a couple times a week. I guess after you guys left they had another video call.” The two boys looked at him dumbfoundedly.

“Why didn’t he tell anyone???” Tetsuya shrugged as his grandmother called from the kitchen.

“Why don’t you set the table Tetsuya dear. Your friends can go wake Kouki and let him know that dinner is ready.” He nodded and gave the two directions to the guest room before disappearing into the kitchen. The other boys went to the dark room to wake the brunette up.

“Hey, Furihata kun” Kawahara was crouched down at the head of the bed, poking his cheek.

“Time to wake up, Kuroko’s grandma said it’s time for dinner” Furihata groaned and pulled the covers further over his head mumbling inaudibly.

“Come on Furihata, you’re not seriously going to sleep the whole time we’re here are you?” Fukuda teased and playfully tugged at the blanket. Furihata groggily opened his eyes, blinking away the blurriness.   


“Kawahara? Fukuda? Wasn’t I at Kuroko’s house?” He asked as he rubbed his eyes and carefully sat up.

“We were worried all day, so Kuroko invited us over for dinner.” Kawahara started,

“We felt really bad that we left you alone … We would have stayed if we knew what was going on.” Kouki shook his head;

“No, something like this was bound to happen at some point. It’s not your fault. If you’d have been there you could have gotten hurt too, or he would have found something else to be mad about on another day.”

“That’s still not good.”

“It is what it is.”

“You should have told us.” Furihata sighed

“I’m going to hear that phrase a lot and it’s going to get really annoying. I didn’t want to tell anyone. And I really just don’t even want to talk about it now.” The two friends looked at eachother then back to Kouki.

“Okay, we’re just happy you’re somewhat okay. We should go get dinner, Kuroko’s grandma said it’s ready.” Furihata nodded, swung his legs over the side of the bed, grabbed his crutches that were leaning against the night stand and slowly stood up.

“Dinner sounds good.” The three of them went out into the dining room.

“It’s good to see you’re able to get around alright Furihata kun.” Kuroko greeted him;

“Ah, yeah, it’s good to see you too Kuroko kun.” He smiled to the bluenette and everyone took a seat at the table.

“So when do you think we can tell everyone to expect you back at school? I don’t think anyone expects you to just be ready to go back” Fukuda asked;

“Huh? I was just going to go tomorrow. I don’t want to get behind, and the medication the doctor prescribed only makes me a little drowsy.” The three other boys just looked at him.

“What?”

“Furihata kun,” Kuroko started. “You know our classmates are going to ask what happened, right?”

“Yeah, and you just got out of the hospital today. No one is expecting you to recover so soon.” Kawahara included;

“I know. But I don’t want to fall behind, and if I have the ability to at least show up to practice and go to classes, I should be fine. And when people ask what happened I can tell them what happened without giving the full story … I was carrying a heavy box down the latter, one of the steps broke and I fell … I wouldn’t be lying ...” Everyone looked at him incredulously.

“What?”

“Furihata kun, you need to stop undermining the situation. I understand that you don’t want people to make a big deal out of it, but it is a big deal.” Furihata sighed;

“I don’t see how it is. I made a mistake and I was punished for it. Simple cause and effect. It was my fault that the ladder broke.”

“Don’t you dare think like that young man!” Kuroko’s grandmother snapped at him, surprising three of the four boys in the room. The bluenette seemed to expect that kind of reaction from the older woman. “None of this was your fault. Your father is a horrible man and deserves exactly what’s coming to him.”

“... He’s not … bad, Just … He’s just been upset since mom left. It’s not his fault.” She shook her head;

“The only mistake that woman made when she left was leaving you alone with him unless she too was an awful person.” Furihata sighed down at his food & leaned back against his chair, ignoring the twinge of pain in his back. His stomach was growling at him, but even still he’d lost his appetite.

“Umm, maybe we should change the subject for now …” Fukuda decided to speak up this time, “We really missed you at school today, and at practice. If you want Fukuda and I could help you with tonight’s homework.” He added somewhat cheerfully, trying to bring the mood back up. Furihata shook his head;

“That’s okay, I can probably figure it out. … I’m not really hungry right now, I think I’m just gonna take some medicine and go back to bed for now. I’ll eat later.” Kuroko’s grandmother sighed;

“You shouldn’t take medication on an empty stomach, you’ll only upset it. At least let me make you some toast first.” With that she got up and went back into the kitchen.

“... Furihata kun, try not to be so hard on yourself. We’re all worried and wish you would let yourself rely on us a bit more.”

“Really Kuroko kun, I can deal with it on my own. I’m grateful that you all care, but really, please try not to worry about me so much.” Kouki gave them all a smile; “Really, I’ll be fine once I’m all healed. I’m just exhausted right now.” The three boys could only watch with concern as he excused himself from the table and shuffled back to the guest room, Kuroko’s grandmother following not long after to make sure he at least ate the toast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I am OFFICIALLY caught up. content is gonna be coming out a bit slower now, but I'll be doing my best. :D

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, thank you for reading!


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